La Place Demon

Originally an offshoot of the German indie band the Notwist, Tied & Tickled Trio has been blending jazz, electronica, and other elements since the mid-‘90s. Headed by Markus and Micha Acher, the group is a fixture on the Weilheim, Germany music scene. Billy Hart has drummed on hundreds of recordings, was a member of Herbie Hancock’s famous early-‘70s sextet, and has played with McCoy Tyner. La Place Demon, the 2011 collaboration between the great American percussionist and the German group is highly appealing. The spotlight is clearly on Hart, and he does not disappoint. His elastic sense of time melds beautifully with Tied & Tickled Trio’s approach. The opener, “The End Is the Same as the Beginning” is essentially a drum solo accompanied by drones created by melodica and other instruments, and it sounds great. “Calaca” possesses a lush, mysterious sound that evokes top-notch film scoring. “The Three Doors,” which has three parts totaling more than twenty minutes, has the feel of ‘60s Spiritual Jazz. The album closes with “Ghost Allaround,” an elegant piece with nice horn work.